ODJ: vital signs
June 26, 2010
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord” (v.13).
READ: 2 Samuel 12:1-13
Quietly reading her magazine, she waits to hear her name. Upon her turn, she follows the nurse back to the examination room. When the doctor enters, the woman amiably proceeds to tell him everything’s going just fine and that she’s expecting him to write her a clean bill of health. Unprepared for the truth, she stands up abruptly and walks out when he tells her she needs medical intervention. Six months later when she needlessly dies from something that was treatable, the doctor can only shake his head in dismay.
While the above scenario might seem ridiculous, let’s consider what happens when people choose consumer Christianity instead of genuine relationships that sharpen and challenge us spiritually. There are great consequences when believers refuse accountability because church life has become more social than redemptive. We find it increasingly difficult to leave behind the sin that “so easily trips us up” if we’re unwilling to let others tell us the truth (Hebrews 12:1).
Leaders in the church often face the challenge of trying to confront sin while dealing with individuals who think their appearance at church meetings entitles them to a clean bill of spiritual health. They care little about real treatment for the hidden disease of sin.
Willing to deal in truth, David saw Nathan’s confrontation for what it was: a call from the heart of God (2 Samuel 12:7). As we live in relationships with other believers, we need to recognize that accountability has a twofold purpose:
• To restore our relationship with the Lord (Psalm 51:12).
• To restore health to the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:4).
If you hear the hard truth from a “Nathan,” recognize that it isn’t a putdown. It’s a sign of great love (Hebrews 12:6). —Regina Franklin
Why do we sometimes see others as self-righteous when they point out a sin issue in our lives? What person in your life challenges you to live according to God’s Word? How are you viewing your spiritual health through your eyes and not God’s?
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i’m a user of ODB-somtimes i wonder if truly i’m a christian! there are those things that appear so trivial, those things that because of my walk with Christ i should have gotten over with, but i find myself keep doing them. sometimes i get so troubled that i refuse to pray, thinking if i do God would be all the more angry. if there is some encouragement, His grace does abound. i only don’t want to abuse that grace. I need your response.